Mercury and Ascendant: aspect cards

You come across as lively, talkative, observant and curious from the first meeting. People remember your words, jokes or interesting questions. Conversation is how you explore the world. Your mind takes in new information all the time and adapts quickly. The risk is talking so much that you do not listen, or switching subjects too fast. Listening as much as you speak makes you both interesting and trustworthy.

• People find you easy to start a conversation with.
• You pick up and adapt to new information fast.

• Your own talk may leave less room for others.
• Quick topic changes can feel scattered to the listener.

At a networking evening you speak with six people in an hour, and all of them leave with a joke of yours. The next day you can recall only two names and nothing about what they said. At the next event, ask a question and listen to the whole answer before saying anything of your own. Write one detail on your phone afterwards.

Ask one question and listen to the whole answer.

Your thinking and your outward manner work smoothly together. You explain yourself and your ideas clearly, start conversations with strangers easily and come across as smart without showing off. Learning and socialising come naturally, and new groups rarely feel hard. The risk is relying on that ease and not going deep on important things. Committing to one hard subject gives your communication real weight.

• You explain yourself clearly to people you have just met.
• You make others feel comfortable asking questions.

• Easy success can reduce the effort you put into hard topics.
• Skimming may pass for knowing.

At a new job you pick up how everything works in the first week and chat with everyone. Three months later, a technical question about the main system leaves you with a general answer, and a colleague who studied it gives the specific one. Choose one difficult area and set aside an hour each week to learn it properly.

Pick one hard subject and study it to the bottom.

Your thinking and your outward image may not match. You might speak too excitedly and make errors, think faster than you can say it, or feel people do not understand what you mean. Anxiety can make you look more restless than you are. You observe well and sense others' reactions quickly. Slowing down a little and breathing makes your thinking come across clearly.

• You notice reactions in the room and adjust.
• Your mind works at speed even under pressure.

• Words can come out in the wrong order when you are excited.
• Nerves may make you seem more flustered than you are.

In an interview you are asked about your last project, and your answer races ahead and loops back on itself. You can see the interviewer's face going blank. You stop, take a breath and say, "Let me say that more simply," then give it in two sentences. The interviewer nods. Slowing down once is enough to reset the whole conversation.

Pause and say it again in two simple sentences.